Omaha - Submissions are currently being accepted for individual papers and presenters for The Third Cumbre of the Great Plains. The Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is hosting the conference, which will be held April 26-29 at Embassy Suites in Omaha. This year's theme is "Understanding Immigration and the Changing Communities of the Americas: Lessons from New Destinations across the Globe."

The conference will bring together scholars, policy-makers, and non-governmental and community representatives interested in exchanging views about the failures and successes of immigration policy reforms as well as immigrant integration efforts across the country and around the globe. Featured speakers include:

· Demetrios Papademetriou, president of the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), a Washington-based think tank dedicated exclusively to the study of international migration;

· Alejandro Portes, an internationally-recognized sociologist of migration and development from Princeton University; and

· Luis E. Guarnizo, from the Universidad Autónoma of Zacatecas and University of California Davis.

While the focus of this year's Cumbre continues to be on Latino/Latin American populations, the organizers have placed increased emphasis on presentations that contribute to the comparative and transnational understanding of immigration issues across receiving and sending nations, localities, history and population groups (e.g. Latin Americans, Africans or Arabs in Europe).

Some topics of interest at the 2007 conference will include:

· Immigration policy across the globe;

· Immigrant integration and the role of governments, communities, institutions;

· Immigrants and the demise of rural economies in receiving and sending countries; and

· Immigrants' identities and political mobilization.

The deadline for paper proposals is Wednesday, Nov. 15. Interested participants should submit proposals via e-mail attachment in Word format to UNOcumbre2007@mail.unomaha.edu. Proposals must be 500 to 800 words in length and indicate thematic area of preference, as well as the author's name, institutional affiliation, contact information and a short biographical sketch (250 words maximum).

The 2007 Third Cumbre of the Great Plains will feature Demetrios Papademetriou. He holds a doctorate in comparative public policy and international relations (1976) and has taught at the Universities of Maryland, Duke, American and New School for Social Research. He has also published more than 200 books, articles, monographs and research reports on migration topics and advised senior government and political party officials in more than 20 countries.

"Having someone of Dr. Papademetriou's stature at the Cumbre is important for us," said Lourdes Gouveia, director of OLLAS at UNO. "His work is thought provoking, and he brings a wealth of experience and expertise on migration issues."

Papademetriou's most recent books include Europe and its Immigrants in the 21st Century: A New Deal or a Continuing Dialogue of the Deaf? (2006, editor), and Secure Borders, Open Doors: Visa Procedures in the Post-September 11 Era (2005, co-author).